Swift at the double before two-day ban

Published on 04/07/2012 00:00

DALE SWIFT had a mixed day at Hamilton Park yesterday, when he rode a double and picked up a two-day whip ban.

The 3lb claimer was handed his suspension after winning the Scottish Racing Claiming Stakes on No Hubris and he completed his brace aboard Jamaican Bolt in the Follow @HamiltonParkRC On Twitter Handicap.

Kevin Ryan introduced a nice newcomer in Luck, who stormed to victory by seven lengths under Phillip Makin in the opening Tom Jones Live This Friday Maiden Stakes. “We’ve plans for him but he’s always been very professional at home and we like him a lot,” the Hambleton trainer said.

King Of Paradise, trained near Preston by Eric Alston, followed up his recent course and distance success in the Racing UK Sky 432 Handicap. “He likes it here and we might try and come back for the hat-trick sometime,” the winning handler said.

Madam Lilibet sprung a 50-1 shock in the John Smith’s Fair Friday Handicap for Scotch Corner trainer Sharon Watt. She said: “It wasn’t that much of a surprise but we were thinking of sending her hurdling and there didn’t seem to be any fluke about this today.”

Racing at Perth today and tomorrow has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

Following an inspection this morning, clerk of the course Harriet Graham said: “We had another 15 millimetres of rain last night and have large areas that are waterlogged. I’m afraid with the forecast there is no chance it would dry out in time.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Balding has put a line through Bonfire’s run in the Derby and is feeling confident ahead of his run in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday. The Highclere Thoroughbred-owned colt was considered the main the danger to Camelot at Epsom, but for a number of reasons he just never fired.

Balding has freshened him up since, however, and the Kingsclere trainer feels he is capable of shaking up the big guns. “He’s been in good form,” said Balding. “We were a little bit worried as he didn’t run his race at Epsom and I was a bit worried he might be sore coming back, but he came out of it very well and we’ve been delighted with him since.”